Welcome to Shinn Custom Woodworks and thank you for visiting. I would like to introduce myself and my custom art furniture business to you . My name is Bruce Shinn and I build unique, one of a kind and very limited production furniture for the discriminating home owner, business person and art collector. My furniture is hand-crafted in my shop in a rural area of western Montana and shipped to customers around the world. All my furniture is built as functional art from only the finest materials.

My background includes over 20 years of experience working with wood and a short time working as a machinist. I also have a degree in Forest Management from the University of Montana and work as a Private Forestry Consultant, specializing in landowner assistance. Working as a professional forester and seeing the natural resource end of the wood products industry adds an appreciation and unique understanding to my woodworking.

I am very enthusiastic about designing and building unequaled pieces that will show off the natural color, texture and beauty of the wood I am using. My furniture is built using only quality materials and the finest craftsmanship to insure a lifetime (and more) of use and enjoyment. Using different woods in combinations, inlays, hand rubbed finishes, natural colors and graceful lines are attributes I like to build into my pieces.

My furniture is not built in any one style, other than under a rather broad interpretation of contemporary. I appreciate many styles of furniture and find inspiration from great masters, such as Maloof, Krenov, Nakashima, Frid, Stockdale and many other contemporary artists. Through the years my style of furniture continues to evolve as I learn new techniques and experiment with different woods. I will always be a student in my desire to create beautiful pieces in wood.

In recent years, I have expanded my wood selection to include exotic and lesser known species of wood imported from worldwide sources. Expansion of the global market place and concern over environmental issues in the tropics has made some very beautiful and interesting lesser known species of wood available to woodworkers. As a Forester I am concerned about the condition of our forests and the tropical rain forests. By staying informed on the issues and utilizing the Certified Forest Products Council resources, I am able to choose wood suppliers that favor plantation grown or sustainable yield sources. When we choose sustainable yield sources or lesser known species we help to preserve the environment in those countries from which they are exported, improve the quality of life for its inhabitants, while at the same time benefiting from the beautiful selection of woods available.

Making a life choice to live and raise my children in Montana creates some interesting challenges in running a fine furniture business. My desire to make my living creating artistic pieces in wood has and will continue to drive me towards expanding my market base throughout the Northwest. My furniture can be viewed at selected fine galleries in the West. I will continue seeking opportunities to show my work, publish my designs and expand my business.

My art furniture and cabinetwork are custom designed specifically for you. They are built for the discriminating person who appreciates the 'one of a kind' workmanship I take pride in supplying to my customers. I encourage you to view pictures of some of my work through this web site, visit galleries where I am showing or contact me for additional information. If your home or business could be enhanced by a quality constructed, unique piece of functional art furniture, please E-Mail, write or call. We will ship world wide!!